The Defense Department reported high levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water near several of its bases.
According to the department, drinking water testing near bases in Washington state, Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan found levels of the chemicals above the U.S. EPA limits, reported The Hill.
According to The Hill, an October sample of drinking water near the Naval Air Station at Washington State’s Whidbey Island contained 4,720 ppt of PFOS. September saw a sample containing 208 ppt of PFOA at this location as well.
Additionally, a drinking water sample near Washington state’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord Yakima Training Center read 800 ppt of PFOS in January, and another sample showed a level of 130 ppt of PFOA.
Pennsylvania’s Willow Grove base had a sample that showed 864 ppt of PFOS in October, reported The Hill. Florida’s Naval Air Station Whiting Field had a sample that showed 206 ppt of PFOA in August, with a December sample showing 30 ppt of PFOS.
A November sample from Michigan’s Camp Grayling Army Airfield was found to have 119 ppt of PFOA, added The Hill.
“These levels are extremely high,” said Jared Hayes, policy analyst at the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement, reported The Hill. "For too long, service members and people living in communities near military installations have been the victims of the Pentagon’s failure to act,” Hayes added.
According to The Hill, a Department of Defense spokesperson has not yet commented on the matter.
The drinking water testing is disclosed under fiscal 2022’s National Defense Authorization Act.
